Sport Editor Ed Ducker interviews the Men’s Basketball President about his team’s Varsity Hopes.
Following an unfortunate relegation from Division One last year, KCL basketball headed into the current season with a point to prove and a fighting spirit. Speaking to Roar, President of KCL Men’s Basketball, Zak Rana, is in high hopes that this year’s Varsity fixture will go the way of KCL. Rana explained how a ‘new-look’ side following relegation has been key to their success to far this year.
“Our team this season is newly constructed, with the majority of last year’s squad having graduated. With both a new coach and a new squad, our team has really been able to thrive under a ‘clean slate’ attitude. Our players have formed a very close-knit relationship with one another which had been reflected in our games where we play with exceptional team chemistry.”
This year’s Varsity fixture will be the third time this season that the first teams from KCL and UCL have met. After losing to UCL in the early stages of the season, vengeance was enacted in the reverse fixture, with KCL dominating and claiming what Zak described as a “big statement win”.
Reflecting on Varsity 2022 and 2023, both of which were won by KCL, Zak states that despite their losses, this UCL team should not be underestimated. He says that their “interior presence [is] their most admirable aspect” and they have a strong side all-round.
Zak told Roar that a lot of preparation was going into meeting the challenge. “Our team is taking Varsity very seriously – the legacy of KCL basketball feels very much in the hands of our players, who acknowledge this and are prepared to do what it takes to make sure we remain undefeated. For a lot of our players, it will be our last season at KCL and for that reason, we are determined to end on a high. What better way to do so than beating UCL in the highly anticipated Varsity fixture.”
The notions of accountability and teamwork are transcendent throughout the team, with the team winning, drawing or losing together – a factor which has been crucial in the side’s previous successes. With morale high and the team feeling both mentally and physically strong, the KCL Basketball are hoping to make it three in a row in Varsity 2024.
You can watch KCL Men’s Basketball from 14:00 on 17 March at Sommers Town Community Sports Centre.
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